Campaigning for sixth phase ends today

Lucknow: The ongoing campaign for the sixth phase of the high-voltage Uttar Pradesh assembly polls ends on Sunday.

Several star campaigners are expected to make their last bid to woo the voters today.

Strict security arrangements have been made in places by the Election Commission to conduct peaceful polling and avoid any untoward incident.

68 constituencies spread over 13 districts of Saharanpur, Meerut, Aligarh and Agra divisions will go to polls on Tuesday in this phase. A total of 1,103 candidates including 86 female candidates are in the fray in this phase.

More than 2.11 crore voters are expected to cast their votes in this phase.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fielded their candidates for all 68 constituencies, while the Congress has left 33 seats for its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal.

The sixth phase of assembly polls will be held in Uttar Pradesh on February 28,while the seventh and last phase, involving western and Terai regions, will be held on March 3.

The Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major political parties to re-establish their foothold in the country``s fifth largest and most populous state.

A new 403-member state assembly will be elected in March. The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections.